Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yomarjorie’

ABSTRACT

A distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yomarjorie’, characterized by its upright, mounded and rounded plant habit; freely branching habit; dense and full plants; uniform and freely flowering habit; duplex-type inflorescences; purple-colored ray florets with bright yellow-colored disc florets; and natural season flowering in early to mid-October in the Northern Hemisphere.

BOTANICAL CLASSIFICATION/CULTIVAR DESIGNATION

Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar Yomarjorie.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofChrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium,commercially known as a garden-type Chrysanthemum and hereinafterreferred to by the name ‘Yomarjorie’.

The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted bythe Inventor in Salinas, Calif. and Alva, Fla. The objective of thebreeding program is to create new garden-type Chrysanthemum cultivarshaving inflorescences with desirable inflorescence forms, attractivefloret colors and good garden performance.

The new Chrysanthemum originated from a cross made in February, 2000 oftwo unidentified proprietary Chrysanthemum selections, not patented. Thenew Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as asingle flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross grown in acontrolled environment in Alva, Fla. in November, 2000. The selection ofthis plant was based on its desirable inflorescence form, attractive rayfloret color and good garden performance.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken in acontrolled environment in Alva, Fla. since January, 2001, has shown thatthe unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproducedtrue to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Yomarjorie has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, daylength and lightintensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Yomarjorie’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Yomarjorie’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Upright, mounded and rounded plant habit.

2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plants.

3. Uniform and freely flowering habit.

4. Duplex-type inflorescences.

5. Purple-colored ray florets with bright yellow-colored disc florets.

6. Natural season flowering in early to mid-October in the NorthernHemisphere.

In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the newChrysanthemum differed from plants of the parent selections primarily inray floret color and inflorescence form.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of thecultivar Lorikeet, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,586. Inside-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the newChrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Lorikeet in thefollowing characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were larger than plants of thecultivar Lorikeet.

2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had smaller inflorescences thanplants of the cultivar Lorikeet.

3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had conspicuous disc florets whereasplants of the cultivar Lorikeet did not have conspicuous disc florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can also be compared to plants of thecultivar Megan, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,756. In side-by-sidecomparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemumdiffered from plants of the cultivar Megan in the followingcharacteristics:

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were larger than plants of thecultivar Megan.

2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had slightly smaller inflorescencesthan plants of the cultivar Megan.

3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered more uniformly than plantsof the cultivar Megan.

4. Ray floret color of the new Chrysanthemum was slightly darker thanray floret color of plants of the cultivar Megan.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of thenew Chrysanthemum. These photographs show the colors as true as it isreasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type.Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color valuescited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describethe colors of the new Chrysanthemum.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective viewof a typical flowering plant of ‘Yomarjorie’.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a close-up view oftypical inflorescences of the cultivar ‘Yomarjorie’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where generalterms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. The followingobservations and measurements describe plants grown in afiberglass-covered greenhouse in Alva, Fla. under practices whichapproximate those generally used in commercial garden-type Chrysanthemumproduction. One cutting was directly stuck in a 15.25-cm container inNovember, 2001, and exposed to long day/short night conditions. Plantswere pinched once about five weeks after sticking. About one week afterthe pinch, the photoinductive short day/long night treatments werestarted. During the production of the plants, day temperatures averagedabout 27° C and night temperatures averaged about 21° C. Measurementsand numerical values represent averages for typical flowering plants.

Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar Yomarjorie.

Commercial classification: Duplex-type garden Chrysanthemum.

Parentage:

Female, or seed, parent.—Unidentified proprietary selection ofChrysanthemum×morifolium, not patented.

Male, or pollen, parent.—Unidentified proprietary selection ofChrysanthemum×morifolium, not patented.

Propagation:

Type.—Terminal tip cuttings.

Time to initiate roots.—About four days at 21° C.

Time to produce a rooted cutting.—About ten to twelve days at 21° C.

Root description.—White, fine and fibrous.

Rooting habit.—Freely branching.

Plant description:

Appearance.—Perennial herbaceous duplex-type garden Chrysanthemum.Inverted triangle. Stems initially upright, then somewhat outwardlyspreading giving a uniformly mounded to rounded appearance to the plant.Freely branching with about four to five lateral branches forming afterthe pinch.

Plant height.—About 15 cm.

Plant diameter.—About 25.5 cm.

Lateral branches.—Length: About 13 cm. Diameter: About 4 mm. Internodelength: About 1 cm. Aspect: Upright to outwardly spreading. Texture:Pubescent. Color: 146A.

Foliage description.—Leaf arrangement: Alternate. Length: About 6.25 cm.Width: About 5.2 cm. Apex: Cuspidate to mucronate. Base: Truncate.Margin: Palmately lobed, sinuses mostly divergent. Texture: Bothsurfaces, pubescent; veins prominent on lower surface. Color: Young andfully expanded foliage, upper surface: 147A. Young and fully expandedfoliage, lower surface: 147B. Venation, upper surface: 147A. Venation,lower surface: Close to 147B. Petiole length: About 1.8 cm. Petiolediameter: About 2.5 mm. Petiole color, upper surface: Close to 146A.Petiole color, lower surface: Close to 146B.

Inflorescence description:

Appearance.—Duplex-type inflorescence form with elongated oblong-shapedray florets. Inflorescences borne on terminals above foliage, arisingfrom leaf axils. Disk and ray florets arranged acropetally on acapitulum. About 14 inflorescences per lateral.

Flowering response.—Under natural season conditions, plants flower inearly to mid-October in the Northern Hemisphere and continue to flowerfor at least three weeks depending on weather conditions.

Inflorescence bud (before showing color).—Height: About 4 mm. Diameter:About 6 mm. Shape: Oblate. Phyllary color: 146A to 147A.

Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 3.4 cm. Depth (height): About 1.3cm. Disc diameter: About 9 mm. Receptacle diameter: About 4 mm.

Ray florets.—Shape: Elongated oblong. Length: About 1.7 cm. Corolla tubelength: About 4 mm. Width: About 7 mm. Apex: Rounded to emarginate.Margin: Entire. Texture: Smooth, glabrous, satiny. Surface: Concave toflat. Orientation: Initially upright, then perpendicular to thepeduncle. Number of ray florets per inflorescence: About 112. Color:When opening, upper and lower surfaces: 71A Fully opened, upper surface:71A; fading to 155D overlain with 71A with subsequent development. Fullyopened, lower surface: 155D underlain with 71A.

Disc florets.—Shape: Tubular, apex dentate. Length: About 4 mm. Width:Apex: About 2 mm. Base: About 1 mm. Number of disc florets perinflorescence: About 65. Color: Immature: 144B. Mature: Apex: 9A.Mid-section: 150D. Base: 155D.

Phyllaries.—Length: About 6.5 mm. Width: About 2 mm. Shape: Ligulate.Apex: Acute. Base: Truncate. Margin: Entire. Texture: Upper surface,smooth and waxy; lower surface, pubescent. Color, upper surface: Closeto 146A. Color, lower surface: 146A to 147A.

Peduncle.—Aspect: Flexible, angled about 55° from vertical. Length:First peduncle: About 2.25 cm. Fourth peduncle: About 3 cm. Diameter:About 2 mm. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 146A.

Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets only. Anthercolor: 15A. Pollen: Moderate. Pollen color: 15A. Gynoecium: Present onboth ray and disc florets. Stigma color: 12A.

Seed.—Seed production has not been observed.

Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have not beenshown to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Chrysanthemums.

Garden performance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have been observedto be tolerant to rain, wind and temperatures ranging from 0 to higherthan 40° C.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plantnamed ‘Yomarjorie’, as illustrated and described.